Our Mission:
Our mission is to promote industrial and workforce development with a focus on advanced materials and technologies in Ashe, Alleghany and Wilkes Counties.
The Northwest North Carolina Advanced Materials Cluster is a three-county consortium promoting job retention and creation through advanced industrial technologies.
The goals of the cluster initiative by subject area are as follows:
Potential Regional Impact - Establish an advanced materials training capacity in the area
- Increase employment
- Become a regional cross-border hub for advanced materials activity
- Infuse advanced materials technology into other area industries
Capacity - Strengthen the region's capacity for advanced materials manufacturers, suppliers, and related industries
- Use education to increase the awareness and appreciation of opportunities in advanced materials manufacturing among the region's youth and workforce
- Develop awareness of cluster methods to apply in future regional development
Market - Stimulate demand for composites at the local and state level
- Identify and define the supply chain
- Raise public awareness of the cluster’s goals and capacity
- Create national and international awareness of the region’s capabilities
Process - Link public and private sectors
- Create a shared vision
- Encourage effective tri-county intergovernmental operation
- Improve understanding and collaboration among public and private stakeholders in cluster-based economic development
By pursuing these goals, the cluster plans to make Ashe, Alleghany and Wilkes counties a leading center for North Carolina industrial development by focusing on manufacturing plant locations to the region. | 
